SCOLOPAX. 
form, in the middle of the lip ; antenna 
thick, filiform, the first joint longer. There 
are about twenty species. 
SCOLOPAX, the curlew, in natural his- 
tory, a genus of birds of the order Gralla?. 
-Generic character ; the bill long and incur- 
• vated ; face covered with feathers ; nostrils 
linear and longitudinal, near the base ; 
tongue short and sharp-pointed ; toes con- 
nected by a membrane to the first point. 
There are fifty species, of which the follow- 
ing are the chief: S. arquata, or the com- 
mon curlew, is generally about two feet 
long, and is to be met with in England 
throughout the year, either on thexoasts or 
near the mountains. Slugs and worms, 
which its bill extracts from the ground in 
the morning and the evening, constitute its 
inland subsistence ; and when on the shores 
of the sea it feeds on marine apimals. These 
birds are often observed iu large flocks, 
and are used by many for food. Those 
-killed on the coasts, however, are rank and 
fishy. , 
S. rusticola, or the woodcock. These 
birds are about fourteen inches in length. 
They are migratory in this country, and 
supposed to proceed from Sweden. They 
arrive about the beginning of October, but 
have never been observed on their first 
reaching land, and are supposed always to 
effect this by night or in misty weather. 
When first seen they are extremely weak 
and exhausted, and have sometimes scarcely 
retained strength enough to fly to a very 
short distance, having been destroyed in 
numbers by a stick only. Before the 
rigours of winter set in, they reside in 
moory and mountainous districts; but in the 
extreme cold they change their haunts for 
such as are lower and warmer, and frequent 
particularly warm springs in glens and dells, 
covered with sheltering trees and brush- 
wood. They occasionally breed in this 
country, some few instances of this having 
been unquestionably authenticated ; but, 
with such very extr<tordinary exceptions, 
woodcocks collect together about the mid- 
dle of March to return to their native coun- 
try. They are often, however, like other 
voyagers detained by unfavourable winds, 
and in sucli circumstances sportsmen find 
them in considerable numbere, and destroy 
them with unmerciful eagerness. The 
woodcock is more remarkable for stupidity 
than intelligence, and is easily taken in 
traps and sprynges, which are placed for it 
near tepid springs, in passages artificially 
fnaiiaged, as tins bird never atteippts tu 
overcome obstacles in its w-ay, even by 
leaping only off a small stone. It is, from this 
indolent tendency, decoyed into the direction 
which, however smooth and pleasant at 
first, terminates in ruin. Its flesh is highly 
valued, but is considered as affording its 
full relish, only when the bird is dressed 
entirely undrawn, in which state with more 
epicurism tlian delicacy, it is generally 
eaten. See Aves, Plate XIII. fig. o- 
S. galiinago, or the snipe, weighs about 
four ounces, is about twelve inches long, 
and to be found in nearly every country of 
the world. Its food consists of worms and 
insects, which it seeks near smallxtreamlets’ 
and iu general in wet grounds. It eats 
also slugs. It is a bii'd of extreme caution 
and vigilance, and the sight of the sportsman 
or tlie dog impels it to immediate conceal- 
ment amidst the dry herbage of its haunts, 
from w'hich the resemblance of colour 
renders it almost impossible to discriminate 
it. On the approach of the enemy it bursts 
•from its shelter with such uncommon va- 
I'iety of direction and velocity of motion, as 
renders its destiwction %y the -gun one of 
the greatest atchievements of the sports- 
man’s art. Snipes are sometimes approached 
nearly, by the accurate imitation of their 
sounds and shot upon the ground, and they 
are often taken by snares, like the wood- 
cock. The flavour and the preparation of 
them are also similar. They are in this coun- 
try migratory, but cases have occurred of 
their breeding in it. 
S. aegoceplialus, or the common godwit, 
is of the weight of twelve ounces, and ranks 
in the highest order of delicacies. It is 
found in almost eveiy country, and in the 
marshy grounds of Lincolnshire and Cam- 
bridgeshire is particularly abundant, feeding 
■on insects and small worms, btit approaches 
the sea shore on the advance of the rigours 
of winter. These birds, in several parts of 
the country, are caught in nets, into which 
they are deluded by representations of 
bh'ds of their own species, made of wood 
and painted with some correctness of re- 
semblance. After they are taken they are 
by some fattened for sale with great facility 
and success. 
S. calidris, or redshank, is not uncom- 
mon in this island, and particularly to ware’s 
the south. It breeds in the marshes, and 
is remarkable for flying in a direction com- 
pletely irregular round' its nest, by which it 
is very frequently discovered. Its length 
is twelve inches. For the redshank see 
Ayes, Plate XIII. fig. 6. 
